60 / 260
46
Station 3-Treehaven (3050 Hecker Pass Hwy.)
is a metal building with two bays that was built in
1981. This facility is 2,100 square feet in size. This station has been identified for relocation and
expansion in the District’s Development Impact Mitigation Plan. The schedule for this relocation is
based on the allocation of sufficient funding.
Station 4- El Toro (18300 Old Monterey)
. This is a substantial building that was constructed in 1975
and has been renovated a number of times in recent years. This is a two-bay, pass-through
facility that is 3,610 square feet in size.
Station 5 – Dunne Hill (2100 E Dunne Ave).
This is a substantial, well-maintained facility that was
constructed in 1978. The building has been renovated and upgraded recently. It is a two-bay,
single deep, pass-through facility that is 2,476 square feet in size.
Assessment of Fire Station Locations
CAL FIRE serves an estimated population of 80,568 people and a total service area in excess of
320 square miles. The two City of Morgan Hill stations have primary service responsibility within
the city boundaries, which encompass an area of 12.8 square miles. This gives each fire station
an estimated service area of approximately 6.4 square miles. The District’s three stations have
primary responsibility for a very expansive service area that is estimated to be 320 square miles;
however, the majority of the service population in the District resides in the areas generally
adjacent to the Highway 101 corridor, which runs an estimated 24 miles from Metcalf Road in
the north to the Santa Clara/San Benito County line in the south. Much of the service area in the
District that extends outward beyond a one to two mile distance from the 101 corridor is made
up of uninhabited canyons and mountainous terrain. The District also operates a fourth station in
the Pacheco Highway Pass area, which operates in this rural part of the District and sees limited
call activity.
In an ICMA Data Report on comparative performance measurement, ICMA evaluated survey
information from 76 municipalities with populations ranging from 25,000 to 100,000 people. In this
grouping the average fire station service area was 11 square miles.
15
The median service area
for this grouping of communities was 6.67 square miles per fire station.
16
In addition, NFPA and ISO have established indices in determining fire station distribution. The ISO
Fire Suppression Rating Schedule, Section 560, indicates that first-due engine companies should
serve areas that are within a 1.5-mile travel distance.
17
The placement of fire stations that
achieves this type of separation creates service areas that are approximately 4.5 square miles in
area, depending on the road network and other geographical barriers (rivers, lakes, railroads,
limited access highways, etc.). The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) references the
placement of fire stations in an indirect way. It recommends that fire stations be placed in a
distribution that achieves the desired minimum response times. NFPA Standard 1710, Section
5.2.4.1.1, suggests an engine placement that achieves a 240-second (four-minute) travel time.
18
Using an empirical model called the “piece-wise linear travel time function,” the Rand Institute
has estimated that the average emergency response speed for fire apparatus is 35 mph. At this
15
Comparative Performance Measurement
, FY 2011 Data Report - Fire and EMS, ICMA Center for
Performance Measurement, August 2012.
16
Ibid.
17
Insurance Services Office. (2003) Fire Protection Rating Schedule (edition 02-02). Jersey City, NJ:
Insurance Services Office (ISO).
18
National Fire Protection Association. (2010). NFPA 1710,
Standard for the Organization and Deployment of
Fire Suppression Operations, Emergency Medical Operations, and Special Operations to the Public by
Career Fire Departments
. Boston, MA: National Fire Protection Association.